Better together: Azure Reserved VM Instances and server subscriptions

Greater value for customers, more business for you

I am excited to be able to share with you that Microsoft has announced the immediate availability of Azure Reserved Virtual Machine Instances (RI), as well as the now-available Windows Server and SQL Server subscriptions, through the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program.

Increasingly, commercial customers want more cost-effective solutions for their predictable cloud workloads. Azure RI will enable partners to better address this customer need. Azure RI and server subscriptions in CSP deliver market-leading customer value, with customers enjoying significant savings (up to 80 percent) along with unmatched flexibility in deployment. This is combined with a partner-friendly business model that minimizes risk while maximizing profitability.

What are Azure Reserved Virtual MachineInstances?

An Azure RI is a
one- or three-year pre-purchase of cloud
compute resources.

Benefits for your customers

With market-leading pricing and deployment flexibility, your customers will see the most value when they choose Azure RI and server subscriptions. With Azure RI in CSP, customers can save up to 72 percent versus pay-as-you-go Azure VM pricing by purchasing—or “reserving”—the virtual machine for a one- or three-year period. Windows Server customers with Software Assurance will be able to save up to 80 percent versus pay-as-you-go pricing through Azure Hybrid Benefits.

Include the ability to exchange instances, family, location, and term length at any time.

May be cancelled at any time during the term of the reservation.

The upcoming release of Windows Server and SQL Server subscriptions in CSP will include Azure Hybrid Benefits, allowing customers who currently don’t have access to Software Assurance to enjoy maximum savings on Microsoft server workloads.

Benefits for your business

While working to ensure the best overall value for customers, we’re also making Azure RI and server subscriptions more attractive for our partners’ business models.

For example, straightforward licensing of Azure RI and server subscriptions will enable partners to obtain more cost predictability and a streamlined sales process. In addition, our business model does not require partners to deploy complex processes and tools to procure, manage, and price RIs across their customers. Partners can now choose to increase their time and resources on winning new business with an expanded portfolio of IT management value-added cloud solutions.